Sterne Kessler Shoots Down IPR Petition for Lone Star Future Weapons

Washington, D.C. (June 27, 2025) – Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox secured a denial of an inter partes review (IPR) petition at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) on behalf of client Lone Star Future Weapons.

In a decision issued June 26, 2025, USPTO Acting Director Coke Morgan Stewart granted Lone Star’s request for discretionary denial of an IPR petition filed by SIG Sauer Inc. that challenged U.S. Patent No. 8,919,238. In the decision, Stewart highlights that “Petitioner filed its Petition after Patent Owner filed a trade secret misappropriation suit against Petitioner in district court, which did not involve the challenged patent,” and that “there is a persuasive argument that the filing of the Petition may be inappropriate here.” The Acting Director further found that “based on the age of the patent and the timing of Petitioner’s challenge, Patent Owner’s settled expectations weigh in factor of discretionary denial.”

Lone Star Future Weapons is an advanced technology company focused on the manufacture of next-generation defense solutions. Director Jason Fitzsimmons, who represented Lone Star before the PTAB, commented: “As an innovator in the field, Lone Star’s intellectual property is one of its greatest assets. They are very pleased with the Acting Director’s decision to deny institution of the IPR challenge to their patent.”

The Sterne Kessler team representing Lone Star Future Weapons includes Directors Jason Fitzsimmons and Jennifer Meyer Chagnon as well as Associates Alexander Alfano and Carson Smith. The case is IPR2025-00410, SIG Sauer Inc. v. Lone Star Future Weapons, Inc.

Additional coverage of this decision appears in Law360 (subscription required).

About Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox

Based in Washington, D.C. and renowned for more than four decades for dedication to the protection, enhancement, and enforcement of intellectual property rights, Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is one of the most highly regarded intellectual property specialty law firms in the world. Its team of attorneys, registered patent agents, technical specialists, specialized trademark paralegals, and law clerks include some of the country’s most respected practitioners of IP law, tackling innovations across a broad spectrum of industries. The firm’s practitioners represent Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, start-ups, inventors, venture capital firms, and universities in a client service driven environment that is welcoming, inclusive, and intellectually stimulating. Visit the firm online at sternekessler.com.